Adding gestures to speech to help Cantonese speakers with aphasia name words
Official title: Contrasting Effects of Verbal Treatment and Gesture Plus Verbal Treatment for Word Retrieval in Cantonese Speakers With Aphasia
Run by Hong Kong University · NCT07455162 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This study will test whether combining hand gestures with speech therapy helps Cantonese-speaking people with aphasia name words better than speech-only therapy.
Quick facts
| Study type | Interventional |
|---|---|
| Ages | 18 Years and up |
| Sex | All |
| Enrollment | 90 (estimated) |
| Sponsor | Hong Kong University Academic / other |
| Locations | 1 site (Hong Kong) |
| Status | Recruiting |
| Started | April 1, 2025 |
| Main results expected | September 2028 |
| Study ends | September 2028 |
| Registry record updated | March 11, 2026 |
| Trial ID | NCT07455162 on ClinicalTrials.gov |
Is this trial a fit for you?
✓Likely a good fit
Ideal candidates are adults with chronic aphasia from a unilateral left-hemisphere stroke who are premorbidly fluent in Cantonese, have word-finding difficulty, can repeat single words, and do not have significant cognitive impairment or severe motor-speech/apraxia.
✕Probably not a fit
People with very mild or very severe aphasia, significant cognitive impairment, major motor speech disorders or non-Cantonese speakers are unlikely to benefit from this specific protocol.
A plain-English reading of the study's rules. Only the study team can confirm whether you qualify.
What this trial studies
Participants with chronic aphasia after a left-hemisphere stroke who are premorbidly fluent in Cantonese will take part in a repeated-measures design with two treatment phases. In the first phase they will receive verbal-only naming therapy, then after a one-month washout period they will receive gesture-plus-verbal treatment (GVT) in the second phase. The study compares verbal and gesture naming performance at different stimulus levels to see which approach produces greater naming gains. Treatment sessions will be delivered in person at The University of Hong Kong and outcomes measured before and after each phase.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, adding gestures to speech therapy could improve everyday word-finding and communication for Cantonese-speaking people with aphasia.
How similar studies have gone: Previous research in other languages has shown that gesture-plus-verbal approaches can improve naming in some people with aphasia, but evidence specifically in Cantonese speakers is limited.
Who can join: the full rules
Show full inclusion / exclusion criteria
Inclusion Criteria: * Diagnosed with aphasia * Demonstrate Word finding Difficulty (WFD) * Able to repeat single words * Normal (or corrected) vision and hearing * Aphasia resulting from a unilateral left hemisphere stroke * Premorbidly fluent in spoken Cantonese * Without significant cognitive impairments * Chronic aphasia resulting from a unilateral left hemisphere stroke Exclusion Criteria: * A history of other neurological disorders * With the above moderate to severe or severe motor speech impairment * With moderate to severe apraxia of speech * With very mild or very severe aphasia
Where it's running
-
The University of Hong Kong
Hong Kong, Hong Kong Recruiting
Study contacts
- Study coordinator: Annie Zhiyao Hu
- Email: annie920@connect.hku.hk
- Phone: 852-6068-8312
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How to take part
- Review the eligibility criteria above with your treating physician.
- Check the official listing on ClinicalTrials.gov for the latest contact details and recruitment status.
- Contact the study coordinator or principal investigator to ask for pre-screening. Pre-screening is free and never obligates you to enroll.